Rebekah and I had an initial consultation last spring, and as is sometimes the case, she decided to go with a different florist for her wedding flowers. Her budget was tight and she was looking for ways to stretch her dollar even further. I totally get that – in this economy everyone's budget is tight. No hard feelings and no judgement from me!

So I was surprised to hear back from her just a few weeks before her wedding date. Things had not panned out and the florist she had chosen didn't turn out to be a good fit. Rebekah had specified that she wanted "a little greenery" and the bridal bouquet ended up being mostly greenery with literally only 5 flowers....5 FLOWERS! After talking through some things we came up with a plan B and I got to work to make it happen before it was her wedding day. Her colors were pink and blue with Stargazer Lilies, blue Roses, ivory Calla Lilies, and Stephanotis in her cascading bridal bouquet.

Toss Bouquet:

Bridesmaid Bouquet:

Jr. Bridesmaid Bouquet:

Bridal Bouquet:

We added a nice contrasting detail to the handles of all the bouquets and did a criss-cross wrap using ivory ribbon over either blue or green satin ribbon. The bridesmaids were alternating blue and green ribbon so the ivory criss-cross gave a cohesive look as all the girls stood together.

So here's your lesson for the day: not all silk flowers are equal. Here at Love Is Blooming I strive to bring the most beautiful, most realistic, and highest quality flowers to each bride's arrangements, no matter what her budget. One of the most advantageous reasons to choose silk is that I can show you exact examples of flowers that will be in your arrangements so you can touch and see exactly what you'll be ordering. If you find yourself in a budgetary pinch, opt for simpler corsages and boutonnieres in favor of getting the main bouquets that are as close to your vision as possible.

If someone promises you the world for a price that seems to good to be true, it probably is. And this goes for any vendor you are looking to hire for your wedding, look at their past work and see for yourself. Save yourself the time and disappointment and go for as custom as you can afford. Ok, off my soapbox I go and back to work.